Hard work, dedication, sacrifice and a firm focus on career goals is the common bond uniting the talented winners of this year’s National Dance Foundation of Bermuda (NDFB) scholarships, bursaries and professional development funding. Many of them have been studying dance since the age of three or four. Some are in the midst of degree courses overseas, while others are just setting forth, and still others are dancing professionally or pursuing broader avenues which will incorporate dance into their career choices. This week Lifestyle takes a random look at the stories of some of the awardees, their hopes and dreams, and the support they have received along the way.

Alexis Richens, winner of the top $15,000 Patricia Calnan scholarship, trained at the Jackson School of the Performing Arts for 14 years from the age of four. Later she took classes at the Russian School of Ballet and the Somerset School of Dancing, and also participated in NDFB summer intensives as well as summer workshops at the Civic Ballet.

Currently a senior at Jacksonville University in Florida, Miss Richens is working towards her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance as well as a second major in Business Management. She says the key to successfully meeting the demands of her academic/dance schedule is ”time management and communication”.

After graduating, Miss Richens will work toward becoming an American Ballet Theater-certified teacher.

Ultimately, she plans to return to Bermuda to teach dance and share her knowledge and love of dance with the community.

The recipient of several NDFB bursaries in the past, Miss Richens is “grateful and humbled” to receive the NDFB’s top Patricia Calnan Commemorative Award.

Dara Palmer, winner of the Montpelier Re Foundation $7500 scholarship in honour of Mrs. Georgine Mary Russell Hill, began studying ballet and tap at United Dance Productions at age three. Between the ages of seven and 12 she added jazz, hip hop, modern and beginners pointe to her classes. At age 15, Miss Palmer, by now a member of the senior company at her dance school, decided to pursue a career as a professional dancer. As always, her family supported her decision, despite the challenges and sacrifices needed to balance dance with academic studies.

Now in her third year at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington, where she is studying for a degree in performing arts, Miss Palmer is “excited” to have won the Montpelier Re scholarship, and says it has made her realise that not only is all of her hard work paying off but also knowing that others believe in her talent.

With the scholarship bringing her one step nearer to her goal, Miss Palmer aims to establish a dance career in Los Angeles before eventually returning home to teach dance.

Fredrika Hill, winner of the $7500 Montpelier Re Foundation scholarship in honour of Madame Ana Roje, trained at the Somerset School of Dance from age four. At around age 14 she began to take dance seriously, and decided to make it her career. Reminded by her parents that academics could not take a back seat to dance, Miss Hill successfully juggled both through time management and prioritising her work. A self-described perfectionist in terms of dancing, her biggest challenge was overcoming an ankle injury incurred during her sophomore year at The Boston Conservatory. While not yet fully recovered, Miss Hill’s love of, and passion for, dance remains undiminished as she begins the senior year of her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Conservatory.

“Pleased and grateful” to receive the Ana Roje scholarship, Miss Hill lauds the NDFB for its help and guidance over the years.

In terms of her future, the ballet and contemporary dance student is planning on a professional career, at the end of which she wants to return home and teach at the Somerset School of Dancing.

Eryn Beach, winner of the BF&M Scholarship in honour of L. John Profit, was five when she began dance classes at the In Motion School of Dance. “Like” turned to “love” as the years progressed, until today where she takes up to ten classes a week. She has also studied ballet and pointe at the Somerset School of Dancing, and modern, tap and hip hop at United Dance Productions. At age 16 Miss Beach decided she wanted to become a professional dancer.

Placing equal importance on both her dance and academic studies, the ballet and contemporary dance student cites organisation and time management as key to her success, and credits her mother’s unfailing support, and her own dedication and ability to overcome obstacles, with allowing her to reach her fullest potential in both areas.

Miss Beach is now heading to Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, England to further her studies. She is one of only 100 students to be accepted out of 2000 applicants from around the world. After graduating, she plans to join a professional dance company. At the end of her professional career, she aims to return home to teach dance.

Surprised and delighted to receive the L. John Profit scholarship, Miss Beach says she is “extremely grateful for the funds”.

In addition to the scholarships winners, the NDFB awarded bursaries to Jadiyah Bailey, Marcus Smith, Amani Walker and Dezjuan Thomas, and also provided assistance from its Professional Development Fund to Shaydrina Hassell and Rikkai Scott.

Amani Walker, 19, is studying for her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance Performance at Middlesex University in London, England.

Marcus Smith, 18, will begin studying theatre at the world-famous Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in New York, with a minor in dance.

Jadiyah Bailey, 19, is entering her second semester at Montclair State University in New Jersey, where she is majoring in dance.

Dezjuan Thomas, 21, used determination and perseverance to defy the odds when faced with a serious challenge to his future as a dancer. Today he is in the third year of his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, and has been described as “a force to be reckoned with”.

Shaydrina Hassell was three when she began dance classes at the Jackson School of Performing Arts. Later, as her love of the art form grew, she realised it would take commitment and sacrifice to succeed as a dancer. With the full support of her parents, she made many sacrifices to achieve her goals.

At the same time, Miss Hassell harboured a keen interest in social work, which led to her attending Webster University in West Virginia where she gained both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in social work while retaining her interest in dance.

Despite returning home and working in her chosen field, Miss Hassell missed dance as a way of personal expression, so she has decided to forge a new career path which combines her twin passions of social work and dance, and is now entering Drexel University in Philadelphia to pursue a degree in dance movement/therapy. Her ultimate aim is to work as a school social worker where her new qualification will benefit students with such issues as trauma, low self-esteem and body image. Her long-term goal is to establish her own agency. providing services to people of all ages.

“Ecstatic” to receive professional development funding assistance from the NDFB, Miss Hassell is also happy to know that others believe in her dream of becoming a dance therapist.

Rikkai Scott’s introduction to dance began at age four at United Dance Productions, where he learned the basics and foundation of all dance styles. By the time he finished high school, the gifted student knew that not to become a professional dancer would be both soul-destroying and a waste of his talent. Fully supported, as always, by his family, Mr. Scott attended the London Contemporary Dance School in Britain, graduating in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Living for the past 18 months in Amsterdam, he toured throughout Europe with De Kiss Moves Dance Fusion dance company, whose repertoire includes hip hop, modern, jazz, contemporary, improv, folk, and break dancing. Home for the summer, Mr. Scott has been teaching hip hop and contemporary dance at the DanceSations dance school, but will be returning to London to audition for professional contemporary companies, and hopefully continue touring and performing in Europe.

Describing his award from the NDFB Professional Development Fund as “special”, Mr. Scott says that without the Foundation’s continued support from the time he entered university as the recipient of a Georgine May Russell Hill scholarship, he would not be where he is today. “It makes me feel that I have a huge support team who really want to see me become successful in every way. I will continue to represent the NDFB with many more successes in the future.”

In presenting the awards to this year’s recipients, NDFB deputy chairman Brian O’Hara expressed appreciation for all those who continued to support the Foundation’s mission to develop Bermuda’s young people through the provision of world class dance training. Describing the current awardees as “excellent role models,” Mr. O’Hara also commended them for raising the bar of dance excellence on the Island. This scholarship legacy was established by the Bermuda Ballet Association before it merged with the National Dance Foundation in 2006. Since then almost $1,000,000 has been awarded for scholarships thanks to the many corporate and individual donors in the community.